A Celebration Month

"Christmas gift suggestions: to your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect." Oren Arnold

Jerry has been waiting all year to put a Christmas tree in the front yard! No other outside lights. These seniors keep getting senior and it isn't easy anymore to do a lot of decorating.

The month of December is a time of celebration, most especially for Christmas when we celebrate the birth of Jesus. After a "thankful" month of November, we fly into December and all the opportunities to celebrate special month.

Jerry and I had two extra days of celebration! December 13th ended our first year in Brookville, PA and all the changes, disappointments, surprises and opportunities we faced. It's been quite a year. I'm thankful we're settled, happy and thankful for all our Lord has brought us through.

I always enjoy seeing "our" family of deer in the evening.

December 14th we celebrated 32 years of marriage. I could say the same thing from above about this past year: changes, disappointments, surprises and opportunities.

Thank you for the anniversary flowers Jerry.

Early December we made a visit to a favorite restaurant and shopping experience: The Country Cupboard in Lewisburg, PA. We found this lovely establishment many years ago when we would drive this way for a Missionary Conference in Jersey Shore, PA.

I bought their special cake and froze it for our big celebration. The sweet icing always satisfies my addiction. Jerry wasn't too happy with me when I gave him his piece. I thought I was being quite generous.

Now  we'll just glide into Christmas Eve and Christmas day. The house looks a lot different from one year ago. And old man winter didn't disappoint! Seven inches of snow fell on the 13th, once again, as it did the day we moved in.

I've been busy creating new Hope pieces and some Christmas table decorations. Many of you will remember the Hope pillow I've given away for many years. I've added two new fabrics for the need.

I like the small Hope table decoration or wall hangings.

My very own quilted Christmas table top! I've becoming more comfortable quilting and enjoying this opportunity very much. Come January I'll be quilting once again for the Quilt Ladies Ministry at church.

This new creative outlet was just what I needed to settle my heart in this new land.

"You can never truly enjoy Christmas until you can look up into the Father's face and tell Him you have received His Christmas gift." John R. Rice

May this month of December be especially loving for you, and may your heart be full of love for out Savior. Merry Christmas friends!

"Ah! dearest Jesus, Holy Child,

Make thee a bed, soft, undefiled,

Within my heart, that it may be

A quiet chamber kept for thee."

 Martin Luther, 1483-1546

Thankful November

Greetings from NW PA, the new frontier for this girl.

Our first snow fell November 1st, and though it didn't amount to much it was exciting to see it's return. The girls even seemed to be excited as they ran about outside.

 

After 2 1/2 days of hard rain, I went out one afternoon to snap fall color. The color was amazing. The rain enhanced the land, and I enjoyed snapping away. 

I coudn't get over how bright the color was. I pictured myself at the picnic table enjoying the view.

The water was very high at the dam in town. The color made the walking bridge very attractive.

I enjoyed attending the Gingerbread Tour the first weekend in November. It's an annual event where about 20 shops participate and a number of restaurants. The shops spread much joy and happiness around as visitors walked about.

It was started to focus on the talented artisans in the Sigel-Cook Forest area (about 15 minutes from home). Jerry and I saw the sign below in one of the shops and started laughing. It now hangs in the house. Jerry told me my assignment was "to find out who took the picture." Him and his humor. One of the shops introduced me to a lovely website: wrendaledesigns.com   I love their note cards!

We are definitely snow birds.  

 

I headed out early one morning with heavy frost on the ground. I was headed to the Amish bakery to get some donuts and bread. Five minutes from home I found three cows out of the pasture enjoying freedom. Except the small one. It was scared and started back across the street and slipped on the frosty pavement. 

On my way home a buck ran across the street in front of me and into the field. It stopped to watch me. I got a nice snap of him before he slowly walked away. 

"Let there be light." Genesis 1:3 "Lord God, how these four words speak volumes about Your infinite power and Your absolute sovereignty! I find real comfort and hope in the fact that You are all powerful and totally in control of the universe, of the world's history, and of my journey through life. May those four words keep me mindful that nothing is impossible for You as I face situations that seem impossible to me." Lisa Guest, 100 Favorite Bible Verses

"But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more." Psalm 71:14

A Cherished Anniversary

Greetings from NW PA, the new frontier for this girl!

November, the month of Thanksgiving, and not just that one day. It's a month to show thankfulness for all things, but a very special something for me! November 14, 1978, a day I will never forget.

Thirty-nine years ago I said yes to Christ, and He changed my life. He gave me forgiveness, hope, purpose, mercy and grace, and continues to be an alive presence in my life. That's worth celebrating!

I think back to my early days when I first found Christ and all that I learned at my home church. My working at my home church and then with the Baptist Convention opened my eyes to Christian men and women who lived for Christ. The many pastors I sat under during those working years and the ones I worked directly with helped me understand truly serving Christ. The many friends I met who exhibited Christ in their daily lives and showed me what real friendship is helped grow me into the woman I am today. I am indeed blessed!

"It is best to be with those in time we hope to be with in eternity." Sir Thoma Fuller (1608-1661)

Since becoming a part of the Quilt Ladies Ministry, I've helped sew 39 quilt blankets to give away. (39 . . . a popular number in this post.) My part of adding the batting, backing and trim of tops that have already been sewn gives me purpose each week.

The ladies won't meet again until next April, but there will still be some sewing going on in homes. With most of the ladies in their 70s and 80s, and winter's here in NW PA , gathering together would be difficult.

My newest created quilt project is a fall covering which now sits on my table in the living room. With practice, I keep improving, although I did have to take out a few seams and make some corrections. But, again, I'm pleased with my newest creation, and so thankful for this new avenue of creativity.

Following are some fall scenery snaps I took while driving around.

This wishing well is calling me to come and sit by its side and dream the day away.

                                                                   King of the Dirt Pile!

Everywhere I drive I'm surrounded by mountains.

 

I just liked all that color behind the bare trees and the golden fields.

A new book is out in my Sweet Pea & Friends collection: A Farm for Maisie. Maisie lives on Moonrise Farm in Vermont. Her story tells the things all the animals are responsible for on the farm. The pictures are lovely close ups of all the animals and the story is sweet.

Yes, I'm a little too old for a children's book, but when I need a little "light" reading it's so much fun reading the stories and looking at something innocent! I love the Sweet Pea &Friends collection!

How can I thank God for all His blessings? Thanks-living.

Thanksgiving/Thanks-living

Terry W York

"How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness ..." Psalm 116:12

"Our life and its sustaining breath and life that's promised after death come from God,

our heav'nly Father, He gives us freedom from our fears; food, friends, and purpose thro' the years. All the words of our Thanksgiving fail to say what we can show by our Thanks-living.

"A life of living thankfulness moves lifeless words to willingness; willingness to serve our Father, That service born of love, demands our hearts, our minds, our strength, our hands.

All the words of our Thanksgiving fail to say what we can show by our Thanks-living.

"Our deepest love and highest praise in both routine and festive days sing of You, our heavenly Father, Yet, while our songs of praise arise, deep in our hearts we realize

All the words of our Thanksgiving fail to say what we can show by our Thanks-living."

The month of Thanksgiving. Take a moment and ponder your life. We have much to be thankful for.

"But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more." Psalm 71:14

The Autumn of Life

Greetings from NW Pennsylvania, the new frontier for this girl.

"Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all other seasons."  Jim Bishop

 I love this snap! It's the first time I went out to find fall color in PA. The light rain falling made it a mystical scene.

I'm still waiting for peak color in Brookville, The other week I drove into the forest in hopes of finding a little more. I wasn't disappointed. Light rain was falling as I drove through the forest, and peace was everywhere. Quiet, refreshing, beautiful. 

I hope you like some of my favorite snaps from that drive. 

I'm creating a new Shutterfly book of fall colors. I went through my journals to find quotes I like, and one particular quote caused me pause to ponder the words. C. S. Lewis said: "Yes, autumn is really the best of the seasons; and I'm not sure that old age isn't the best part of life. But of course, like autumn, it doesn't last."

I am in the autumn of life. As Charles Lowery said: "I am now officially too old to die young." But then he follows it up with: "It is the autumn of life . . . It's about dead and alive --- and I'm alive."

Autumn is truly a beautiful season of grandeur. And it's a season of dying. A cycle of life has ended, and a cold season of death follows. Too think, those beautiful colored leaves flying down to the ground and making a path of splendor is part of the dying process.   

I could have sat there forever listening to the water fall!

I celebrated six years of retirement this month. I'm so glad I was able to retire and enjoy a new season of life after years of working. Overall it's been good years, with my new season of life in NW PA finally over all the bumps and bruises.

Many people don't make it to retirement. Many people die shortly after retirement. We don't know when our last day will be lived on this earth. But until that happens, we're alive! Don't you want to go out in splendor like the autumn leaves?

You turn a corner and find something beautiful!

As I've mentioned in earlier posts, my new inspiration and desire in this season of life has moved to quilting. The thrill of quilting something and giving it to someone to encourage their heart is exciting.

Many of you have seen my "Hope" fabric. I've made many small pillows with the help of my friend, Gail, to give to people going through cancer treatments, or going through other difficulties. Now I want to make "Hope" quilted covers.

My newest quilt project is complete. I added some brighter colors in the design,and I'm pleased how it turned out.

I love the"Hope" fabric. Having that little word in the design is special. I believe in hope. I believe in God's Hope. And I want to share it.

So I will try and shine using the skills God has given me until my days on earth are over.

Not sure what kind of ferns those are on the ground but they were a lovely frame to the colorful forest!

A little walk across the bridge into the forest.

 I loved the surprise of leaves growing from the trunk!

Much can be said about Autumn being the best part of life. "The gift of old age is remembrance." unknown.There are many bumps and bruises in a life time, but there are also many good and fun times. Remembering the good and fun is a special blessing we have. Thank you God for memories.

When I take a picture it captures a memory. I may never see it again in person, but looking at the picture relives that special time. I think that's one reason I enjoy taking pictures. When looking at a picture it takes me back to that day in my life and the thrill of a special snap.

 “God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December.” J. M. Barrie

This pond was hidden from the road, but the map said it was here. So I walked just a few feet back into the woods and found it.

And writing is a form of remembering. I forget so many things in the process of living. But I can pick up my journals, and read my blog posts and remember what inspired those writings. It's all a part of my life. Never to be forgotten.

Yes, memory is a good remembrance of times gone by. Throw out the bad and hurt, and think on the good and happy. There's plenty of both, but dwelling on the bad cannot make it good. Dwelling on the good will bring smiles and peace.

Being older brings a lot of changes. You just have to laugh at all the strange things you do. But remembering the things of your life can bring great blessing.  Now that's something to ponder!

And a smile to leave you with . . .

 

"This is the first time I wallpapered a toilet seat cover," Jerry said, as he "installed" the picture at my Mom's request. And what does my 94 year old mother say: "Oh my, that's neat!"

"But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more." Psalm 71:14

October News

Greetings from NW Pennsylvania, the new frontier for this girl.

It was a beautiful day to drive around and this barn stood out as we drove by. I'm usually partial to red barns, but this gray one made a pretty picture.

I was delighted to find an Amish village not far from home. Smicksburg is Amish Country in NW PA, about 45 minutes away. We visited there recently.

A small settlement of about 300 people, with a few shops to explore. We were pleased to find the Country Junction Restaurant. It's mentioned as being among the top 11 restaurants in PA. The food was delicious, the staff and service was great and the atmosphere was fun.

It's been difficult finding good restaurants. In MD we ate lunch out twice a week, mostly to get Mom out. We would drive an hour or two to good eating places. The only restaurants here that we have in MD are Red Lobster, Ruby Tuesday and Hoss' Steak House, and all of them are 45 minutes away in DuBois.

Looks like a lot of events take place in Smicksburg. A fun place to visit!

So finding this new restaurant in Smicksburg was a great find! There are a few other restaurants we go to, one in Brookville, two in Punxsutawney (yes, Punxsutawney Phil's home) and one in Clarion.  And a favorite restaurant 15 minutes from home burned to the ground at the beginning of the summer. They've already started building and will reopen next spring.

I bought a new quilt centerpiece from an Amish home. It was a small building on their property and rugs and quilt pieces were offered. The quilt piece looks nice on the living room table. The owner told me of another lady who sells quilts in the next town over. I plan to visit it when we return.

As you can see I've proudly hung my very first quilt creation where I can see it from the couch. And those little figures are an old farmer and his wife. I drew a beard on the man so he'd look like Jerry. I bought them years ago and have always had them out to enjoy.

Speaking about quilts, I finished my second quilt creation! I'm so pleased. It's a 32" x 40" piece, and I love the colors. For only my second quilt piece, it turned out fairly well. I must admit, sewing all those lines through the middle wasn't easy. The first four lines I sewed weren't very good; the second four lines were a little better, and the rest turned out fairly well. I'm so thankful for this new creative outlet!

In September I enjoyed a girlfriend weekend in MD! I spent five days chatting with 14 friends. The sun shone, the temps were lovely and the company was grand! I wish I could have visited all my friends, but I'm thankful for those I was able to connect with.

They filled me with love, encouragement and happy memories, and I'll always be thankful for the friends God has given me. It was a beautiful five days driving to familiar homes and sitting down with friends.

My friend, Diana, colored these pages representing the things God has given me to do: Sewing, writing and photography. And I came home with a lot of goodies my friend's gifted me with. Thank you, dear friends! My friend, Carol's, deer also treated me with a walk through her field!

Fall will be in full bloom soon. I'll be driving around looking for beautiful scenes to photograph. I hope I'll have some lovely scenes to show you next time.

"But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more." Psalm 71:14

September News

Greetings from NW Pennsylvania, the new frontier for this girl.

The day of the eclipse I went out back to sit on the deck. When I looked up I found this stunning display of patchwork. It was mesmerizing. I grabbed my camera to get this snap. What a lovely display of clouds. Don't know if it actually has a name for it, but I loved looking at.

Charms.  Jelly Rolls. Layer Cakes. Fat Eighth Quarters. Fat Quarter Bundle. The new terms I've learned as I become acquainted with making quilts. Those names are how bundles of fabric are sold for quilt making. I've often seen these bundles in stores, but didn't really think much about them.

Quilting made easy. There's anywhere from 20 to 60 pieces of fabric in these bundles, all different designs but in similar shades, to make quilts. And now I've purchased some.

This is my very first created quilt project! I wanted to make a decorative piece out of the Hope fabric I purchased years ago from the Longaberger Company. My friend, Gail, helped me make many small pillows to give to those going through cancer treatments with this material. And I hope to make many more. I am so pleased with my first creation! A sales woman at the quilt shop just down the road helped me pick out the other two colors. A few little mistakes here and there, but overall I'm very happy with this first creation.

In my last post I mentioned the Quilt Ladies at my church, and the inspiration I've received as I helped with the quilt blankets. Two of the ladies sew the squares together, and another lady puts the batting, backing and trim on the blankets. At the gathering we all tie knots to help keep the batting in place. I've now been asked to help with attaching the batting, backing and trim work. It's nice to be needed

One of the quilt ladies tying knots to a blanket, and a new friendly acquaintance!

Tying knots doesn't sound exciting? Well, maybe not, but it was enough to inspire me to discover a new creative outlet, and give me time with other ladies. And I desperately needed that.

One Saturday morning I ventured farther north to the southern tip of the Alleghany National Forest on my early morning drive. A new road to explore through forestland with the occasional house and cabins. Many are hunting cabins and vacant. Quiet roads, no vehicles. Only deer, rabbit and squirrel were out and about. And I'm sure there were a bear or two that I didn't see.

I love this snap I got at sunrise. The sky was beautiful that morning, and having the deer at the tree was special.

I've enjoyed driving in the Alleghany National Forest and hope to spend many more hours on the roads. One of the best things about my new home is the driving around. There just isn't any traffic. I can drive an hour or two without one car coming up behind me. And most of the time when a car does come up behind, they stay a reasonable distance away.

I like the Joe Pye Weed that's everywhere along the roadside.

Wildflowers bloom all over. This snap is of the Clarion River in Clear Creek State Park. I've loved the summer wildflowers in the area.

I spotted the first leaves changing the last week of August, both on the road and in the back yard. It is a welcome sight to see. Sweatshirts are already out. I anticipate the beauty yet to come.

The summer has found a family of deer who visit our back yard for corn. I was able to watch two fawn with the 4 to 6 doe that come around. It was good to see them.

I'm excited about my next quilt project I'm creating out of the fabric below. I was hoping to make a trip to Lancaster to my favorite quilt shop, but have decided to try my hand in designing and sewing. This next one is going to be 40 x 40, a bite bigger than my first created attempt. All squares at this point. Triangles and other designs will come much later when I'm more experienced at making quilts.

I'm experiencing a new practice at our new church home. A Prayer and Praise book is put out each Sunday morning for the fellowship to write down prayer requests and praises. During the worship service, about 10 minutes or so is given to reading the entries in the book and taking requests from the floor. I'd never experienced this during a Sunday morning worship service, but have come to appreciate the personal touch of including all member's needs and praises. A woman writes down each request, and at the end of this time she prays for everything that was mentioned. It is a very personal touch. I like that.

I have been given the responsibility of taking the Prayer and Praise book home and typing up the requests and sending them to the two pastors and the elders on Monday mornings. Just one little duty that helps me fit into the new church.

I am so thankful the tide has turned, and I'm feeling accepted and hopeful. It's not an easy thing to leave all your friends, support, church, surroundings and where you've lived for all your life (up to this point of course).

In the last week I've learned that two friends will be moving to new frontiers. I can thankfully say to them, "You'll Survive!"

"But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more."

Psalm 71:14